1.22.2011

as far as school goes, i'm having serious motivation issues. i am so anxious about getting my internship set up and done in time to graduate that it's literally taking all of my energy just to worry about it.

pretty awesome! i'm trying to work on move my weigh in to sometime during the week, might stick with fridays for now though.

another awesome thing? my campus is offering free zumba classes every day of the week! freak yeaaaaaaaa....i think i'm gonna try to go next wednesday. i'm so excited.

i'm dealing with some performance anxiety now that i've officially put in my intent to graduate in the spring. i'm spazzing a little bit to get my internship set up and all my classes taken care of. so far i think this semester will be pretty chill though.

1.03.2011

so we're down to exactly one week from today until spring semester starts (i.e. the last one!) and i'm torn. on one hand, i really, REALLY do not want to give up all these handfuls of free time, but on the other, i am bored out of my mind, and that my friends, leads to grazing. no love.

i'm ready to be busy again...just ya know, not with homework or internships or anything.

this weekend was wonderfully sweet. breakfast in bed (waffles!), a mini-marathon of Third Watch our favorite show, and massive assive cleaning. finally got the old bed and box spring, which had been sitting half inside the closet door (wtf? how am i supposed to get my clothes man?), mostly out of the apartment. the mattress is still in our bedroom but neatly now, up against the wall. laundry put away, candles to burn away the smell of dust and dirty clothes (god, seriously, do men never clean?) and most everything put to rights again. ahhh, i love a clean bedroom/bathroom. it feels more peaceful and restful, i swear.

we started our "household" budget last night, keeping track of when things are due, when paychecks arrive, receipts of crap we buy, and what we can put into savings. it felt really great, like we were actually working together and understanding each other. let's just hope it keeps up!

and finally, today i broke in my new tart pan (with removable bottom, ooooooh) that i got for christmas with a freakin bad-ass quiche. quiche is such a delicate word, but delicate this quiche was not. this was a filling, veggie stuffed, whole-wheatified, hearty demigod of quiches. and don't be afraid, this quiche is meant to stand alone, to which i recommend eating it on smaller plates than we did (giant dinner-sized), or giving it a plate buddy like a sassy side salad so it doesnt look so lonely. who doesnt like a sassy side salad?

the crust of this bad boy is amazing, and if you overestimate the amount of dough you'll need like i did, you can roll it out and make tasty little homemade crackers! i take my dough seriously folks, no wasting in this kitchen. it's full of herbs and butter, seldom a bad combination, but throw whole wheat into the mix and you've got a fiesta. a whole-grain fiesta.

if you like your quiche super eggy, you might wish to adapt this to include more egg. i prefer my quiche full of stuff, and i rather like to use the egg more of a medium to hold all that stuff together instead of being the main event.

when all was said and done, this came out beautifully. savory, herb-y, eggy goodness.

to make the crust
1. mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. cut butter into bowl and combine. dont be afraid to use your hands here. mix butter and dry ingredients until a crumbly dough forms. add in water and slowly collect dough in a ball shape, squeezing and reshaping with your hands until all the flour is incorporated. you can add in more water if you feel your dough is too dry.
2. wrap ball in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 10 minutes. this makes the rolling easier and you wont get melted butter all over your hands (true story). you can also start prepping your vegetables while you wait.
3. preheat oven to 425 degrees. remove dough from fridge and roll out on wax paper sprinkled with flour. roll out dough until the diameter is at least 3 inches wider than the top of your chosen baking vessel. transfer to baking pan and fold down edges so that the side/top crust is thicker than the bottom crust. if you are using a regular pie plate, flute or crimp edges down. if you are using a tart pan, press firmly into the sides to an even thickness all around. prick bottom a few times with a fork to reduce puffing. (you can also use pie weights, rice, or beans on a sheet of aluminum foil)
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, set to cool slightly, and reduce oven temp to 350 degrees.

to make the filling
1. crisp bacon in a skillet to your desired level of doneness and remove from pan. using the same pan, saute vegetables and salmon until tender. return bacon to the party.
2. in a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sour cream and half the shredded cheese. salt and pepper to taste.
3. spoon vegetable mix evenly into the bottom of the crust. don't be afraid if your crust is completely full, we want it that way. evenly pour egg mixture over top of the vegetables, it will seep down and bind everything together. garnish with remaining cheese and zucchini slices.
4. Bake for 30 minutes then broil at 500 degrees for 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.

1.01.2011

i spent a mellow, relaxed new years at home with my family, although R was hauling bodies at work and was greatly missed. we had a great little spread that was way way scaled back from what we usually have. cheese and crackers with fruit, steamed shrimp, and a sweet little nibblet my bro and i thought up. we were craving hot wings but didnt want to put up the cash or go out, sooo i just cubed up some lean chicken breasts, lightly pan fried them and coated em in pepper sauce. mmmmmm yummy, cheap, and healthier than take-out. armed with finger food and wine, we waited for 2011 to arrive.

about 30 seconds till midnight, i got a phone call from my love and we rang in the new year together watching fireworks. i would have loved to have him there for a kiss, but it was still wonderful.

2010 was just about the best year i've ever lived through. and thinking back on it, i actually feel like i was alive this year, not just existing from one year to the next. i saw dreams come true, goals achieved, and futures begun. it was truly amazing, and i cant wait to see what 2011 brings.

and now rolling with the cheerful cliche of a new year, i have a couple of goals to make.

i want to lose weight. duh. i want to get healthier. and i am determined to work hard at it. what i am not going to do this year is to make it a competition. you cant compete with yourself, and competing with others only results in someone coming up short. i dont want to do that. the thing i DO want to do, feel better, physically, by gradually reducing my body weight. i'm going to start posting numbers and weekly weigh ins again, because i feel ready for it. i've taken my time to work on my issues, and now i'm ready to take control again.

as of this morning, i weighed in at 342.4. yipes. but i'm not going to wallow. i'm going to work.

luckily, i have some neat tools, including my new favorite thing...

its a reusable, plastic cup with a straw! it holds a cool 16 oz, is double walled so that it won't sweat, and both the cup and straw are made of hard, durable, eco-friendly plastic. also, it looks like a take-out cup, which is awesomely cute. its so much sweeter than a water bottle and its pink. i picked one up at old navy when i was doing my post-christmas sale-ing, and i loved it so much i went out and bought another one.

it helps me improve my water intake and its wicked adorable, which makes it fun.

i'm also working on keeping a budget, and creating a household budget for R and i. combining two incomes (or his income and my occasional babysitting cash....until i get a job after graduation) and two different spending habits and styles is going to be interesting, but we're making this plans and following through.

another thing, i want to take better care of myself to improve and maintain fertility. i'm not planning on getting pregnant for another couple of years, but i want to improve my chances for when we're ready. i've been tracking my periods and ovulations and it's helped me become more aware of what my body goes through throughout the month and how it effects my appetite, moods, sleeping habits, and energy levels.

another goal, to stop being afraid of the doctor. i need to make dental appointments, and check-ups and what not, and actually go to them. i need to stop being so afraid of what might be found, that i hide and ignore instead. that needs to change.

i am excited and a little scared to see all the changes 2011 has in store for me and for my future, but i am resolved to face it head on.